First single of the Mourning Birds EP, Disaster Flower Bloom, is now available for streaming and download on Soundcloud. This lead track was produced by multi-ARIA award winner Lachlan “Magoo” Goold. During the recording, the band stayed at his Applewood Studios, housed in a renovated old church in the middle of Australian woodlands.

“Disaster Flower Bloom” features disquieting vocals from Grant (lead vocals, guitar) which were recorded with a vintage Dictaphone mic, and brooding synth shifts in the vein of Portishead.

“When we started recording it, we could feel this natural ebb and flow in the song, it seemed to be slipping seamlessly from a dark and almost eerie verse and then lifting into a lush chorus,” Wendy describes, “Originally I wasn’t singing on the track at all and then Grant suggested that we add female vocals into the chorus, I came up with some ‘Mazzy Star’ Inspired harmonies for this and it all fell into place nicely.”

Mourning Birds EP will be available digitally worldwide on September 17th, 2013.

We’re excited to be releasing Lost to the Birds as a single. This track was available on the US version of Winter of the Electric Sun, and was one of the first tracks that we wrote for the album. Over the year and a half that we were conceptualising and performing the song it went through a few transformations, before landing where it did. The song originally started out with an acoustic guitar that Grant and I would sing over, the chorus was really ambient and contained the title lyrics, which we ended up taking out of the chorus when I started singing a more upfront melody in rehearsal. Grant was really drawn to the phrase so we wanted to keep it as the title, as we felt it an apt summation of the themes in the song. We hope you enjoy it.

The band has just released it’s debut album Winter of the Electric Sun in the States. Thanks to Radio K from all the way over in Minnesota for helping to celebrate the release by selecting our song, The Water In Your Blood for their track of the day. You can download the track for free from Radio K’s website by using the link below.

We’re into our third day of recording here at the idilic surrounds of Applewood. It’s hot as hell, but the music is sweet and the company good.

I always forget what an exhaustive task recording is; the pure effort of concentrating on a piece of music all day requires a great deal of focus. And the emotional drain of having the confidence to see your ideas through to fruition; but when you get it right nothing can compare the elation.

We spend most of our time sitting up in the attic room at Magoos lovely studio; playing scrabble and reading an eclectic range of books keeps our minds fresh (and plenty of beer and chocolate helps keep the energy flowing!)

Other noteworthy happenings:

I kicked a toad (not intentionally).

Lost our toothbrush.

Drove the band to the shops without killing anyone (quite the achievement considering I’ve only ever drove twice before)

Had a close encounter with a green tree snake.

Found our toothbrush.

Wrote my name on all my MacBook cords (just like how mum used to on my undies when I went off to school camp! Yay band camp!)

I’ve just been enjoying a glass of wine while looking back at a few music videos released in the last year or so. Heres one of those clips, its by fellow Australian band Tame Impala. It’s been out for a while now, fantastic clip though. Its off their debut record Innerspeaker. I like it hope you like it too

I was recently interviewed by UK based music site The Devil Has the Best Tuna on behalf of the band. It was only a matter of time before the sea themed names would cross paths I suppose. Heres a link to the full interview the devils interview Grant of The Oyster Murders, be warned though many dark and disturbing secrets about the band are revealed and three of the members are missing from the press shots… how mysterious, don’t worry though they are still in the band.